NATIONAL SWEET TOOTH

Kiwis have a sweet tooth, and the clearest proof of this are the 2016 Brands I love rankings, recently released by Colmar Brunton. There are now three confectionery brands in the top six, namely Whittaker’s (first), Cadbury (fifth) and Pascall Pineapple Lumps (sixth). While Whittaker’s remains New Zealanders’ favourite brand, leading the way alongside perennial top four like All Blacks (second), Air New Zealand (third) and Tip Top (fourth), Cadbury has managed to come from outside the top 10 last year into the top five.

This is, of course, particularly satisfying for James Kane, who was appointed as Mondelez International’s NZ country head exactly one year ago.

“The confectionery category continues to have a number of much-loved brands in it, which is great news,” Kane told us. “We know that the category is one of the biggest and fastest-growing in supermarkets, so brand love like this is really important.”